Following today's media coverage of the new benefit rules which come into force next October, I would like to reassure everyone already claiming that their benefit will not be affected.

To quote an e-mail circulated around DWP today:-
There will be a new capability assessment as part of the Employment & Support Allowance to be launched in autumn 2008 when it will only apply to new claims on grounds of incapacity.
Existing customers WILL NOT BE AFFECTED by the changes being introduced next year. Neither their benefit or the way they are assessed will change. They will continue to receive their current benefit & their medical assessments will continue to be the existing Personal Capability Assessment. They will, however, be able to volunteer for support to help get them back into work if they want to.

Well personally I am only claiming what I have contrubuted to in taxes for a number of years. Better I claim it that offload it to all those single mothers and streams of children on income support who enjoying making people's life hell!

I miss work, I don't want to claim IB I would rather be well and working than claiming benefits but this country is so fucked up that I was left with no choice.

I'm on benefits....but only because I have to be...if I didnt receive benefits then I would completly lose all the little independance I have and be in an even worse situation. I dont want to be on benefits, I have a real problem with the fact that I am unable to work and have to 'live off the state' but my counsellor recently pointed out to me that although this deeply bothers me now, when I was working and paying taxes (that of course some of went towards paying other peoples' benefits) I didnt even think about it.

There are many people that have no choice about being on benefits....I think most people would get back to work if they possibly could (bound to be a small minority that wouldnt though right). I was reading something recently that really annoyed me though about people claiming incapacity benefit for things like acne! Now, if the acne causes them to suffer terrible anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses then fair enough but then that should be the illness recorded.....it just makes it harder for people to accept that some people have no choice but to claim benefits and not everyone is faking or trying to get out of working.

As alimar said, I miss work and would do anything to get back to feeling like part of society and that I have some meaning to my life again (I'm on IB and DLA)